About three in ten people with a credit file in Erath County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Erath County, 31.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Erath County's score
In Erath County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 85.2. About three in ten renters (31.5%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 59.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Erath County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Erath County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (14.0%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent31.5% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.1% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
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- 59.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.4% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 59.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.4% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people110.9 · 202541st percentile
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- 56.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.0% · 202444th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance15.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,488 · 202453rd percentile
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- 42.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202635th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.4% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Erath County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Erath County, 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Erath County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Erath County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 18.9% in 2004 to 23.0% in 2009.
In Erath County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 21.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Erath County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Erath County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.6% in 2017 to 10.6% in 2018.
The share of households in Erath County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 6.0% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Erath County, Texas.
How Erath County has changed
Erath County's population had its largest rise, from 21,764 in 1979 to 25,487 in 1984.
Erath County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 44,496, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 21,764. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Erath County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Erath County had its largest rise in the last span, from 16,105 in 2020 to 19,535 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Erath County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 19,535, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 16,105. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Erath County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.2% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,950 | 2024 $65,488 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Erath County's history
1856
Erath County was created in 1856. Wikipedia
1886
Coal mining became important to Stephenville area in 1886 and was a major segment of economy for 30 years. Wikipedia
1990
A tornado in April 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A thunderstorm in April 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in April 2019 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 42,545, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A tornado in April 2025 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1990
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Erath County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Erath County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Erath County, two score higher. Of the group, Erath County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Eastland County gets the largest, at 34.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Pinto County, TX | 80 | 16.0% | 26.4% |
| Eastland County, TX | 78 | 18.5% | 34.8% |
| Erath County, TX | 68 | 14.9% | 21.3% |
| Bosque County, TX | 63 | 14.5% | 28.5% |
| Hamilton County, TX | 57 | 13.7% | 24.2% |
| Hood County, TX | 50 | 8.0% | 23.4% |
| Comanche County, TX | 48 | 14.5% | 28.7% |
| Somervell County, TX | 12 | 9.7% | 21.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Erath County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Erath County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 120th highest of 254 in Texas (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Starr County, at 35.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Erath County ranks 116th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Erath County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Erath County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.